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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24219346">set aflame, watch me burn</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/jiusngs/pseuds/jiusngs'>jiusngs</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff, Idiots in Love, M/M, They Make It Work, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, can't even count the amount of times they've grinned here, jaemin's brave, kind of, mild swearing but they're teens, renjun's pretty reserved, what can you do</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 17:20:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,004</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24219346</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/jiusngs/pseuds/jiusngs</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Less than a hundred to go. I have to say, Jaem, I’m feeling kind of smothered.”<br/>“Oh, wow— smothered? By me? Na Jaemin? Who would’ve thought?"</p><p>Based on the prompt: Jaemin gives Renjun 365 kisses on their one year anniversary.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Huang Ren Jun/Na Jaemin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>165</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>RENMIN FIC FEST: ROUND ONE</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>set aflame, watch me burn</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>it's been a long time since i've posted on ao3, and this may not quite make up for the time gone, but it was still fun to finally be writing something again!!<br/>this prompt came from a prompter who submitted it for renmin fic fest!! it was my first choice and i hope i did it justice. so, that being said, here is just an 8k dump of idiots in love</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Renjun begrudgingly forces an eyelid up. His face is buried in a mound of pillows and his hair sticks to his forehead. He doesn’t feel his duvet on him so he assumes he’s kicked it to the floor in his sleep just like every night prior—all consequences of the heat as summer settles upon the city.</p><p>The shrill sound of his phone ringing had managed to weave its way into his dream, pulling him out of it. It’s been a while since he’d last had a dream, so he’s not too happy about it being stolen away from him just as fast as it’d arrived.</p><p>The alarm clock on Renjun’s bedside table reads 05:32 and the alarm on his phone is set for six, so he knows he’s not late.</p><p>With a yawn and a groan, he musters up any and all of the strength coursing inside of him to push himself into an upright position, sliding his phone off the table. The line goes dead before he can see who’s called. Right as the notification pops up on the screen, it rings again. He winces.</p><p>Jaemin’s contact is in bright white, shining a light in the curtain-drawn room—Renjun’s sure that the sun hasn’t even begun to rise yet.</p><p>He slides the answer button and holds the phone up to his ear.</p><p>“<em>What </em>.” Renjun’s voice is hoarse and scratchy, a pain to his ears. He reaches for his bottle of water and finds it empty. </p><p>“What? Did you just ask me <em>what? </em>” Jaemin’s voice replies on the other end of the line, vexed. “I have half a mind to hang up right now, you know?”</p><p>Renjun rolls his eyes. “That wouldn’t be completely terrible,” he says, “I still have about thirty minutes of possible rest time left.”</p><p>“Renjun.”</p><p>“Jaemin?”</p><p>“Happy anniversary.”</p><p>Renjun blanks. He takes in a deep breath before pressing his lips together so tightly that he’s sure they’ve gone yellow. “One year?”</p><p>“One year.”</p><p>“Holy shit…”</p><p>Jaemin laughs on his end, soft and breathy. Renjun can almost feel it brush against his cheek. His grip on his phone tightens and he sinks further back into his pillows, ready for the earth to swallow him whole.</p><p>He knows Jaemin isn’t mad that it’d slipped his mind; Renjun’s like that, and Jaemin’s okay with it—usually. Still, it doesn’t help the uneasy mount of guilt from welling up in the pit of his stomach. But it’s overpowered by something else, something that lurches and makes his stomach flip three times over.</p><p>Renjun smiles, “Happy one year, Jaem.”</p><p>“A big congrats to you for making it this far,” the corners of Renjun’s lips stretch even further towards his ears. Then, almost a whisper, “Happy one year, angel.”</p><p>The pet name makes his stomach do more than flip. It’s not rare for Jaemin to toss one in at the end of his sentence when addressing Renjun, but it’s rare enough that it makes Renjun melt each time he does. Renjun’s sure that his pillows are just about ready to grab hold of him and pull him all the way down, slowly, as if he were in a space filled to the brim with quicksand. </p><p>When Renjun doesn’t say anything, Jaemin speaks up again, a smile evident in his voice, “Sorry for waking you.”</p><p>Renjun shakes his head even though he knows Jaemin can’t see it, “I’ll let it slide this time, Na.” he replies with a sarcastic bite. The scratchiness in his voice is gone now. “But one more slip-up and we’re done for.”</p><p>Jaemin laughs again, a proper laugh this time, and Renjun joins him until it eventually dies in their throats. The line goes silent for a few seconds before Jaemin exhales deeply. “Guess what,”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“<em>Guess </em>.”</p><p>“<em>Noooo </em>,”</p><p>Jaemin whines. “You’re boring,” he boos, “give me a second.”</p><p>Renjun frowns, waiting for something to happen, but a second passes and then two, until he thinks that Jaemin’s forgotten about the call completely. Then the call goes dead and Renjun is left staring at his home screen; 05:38. </p><p>He debates calling Jaemin back, worried that something’s happened, but is stopped, just as his finger hovers above the call button, by three soft taps on his bedroom window.</p><p>Jaemin’s sitting there as if sneaking up to Renjun’s window at almost six in the morning is the usual for him (it is). He’s fully dressed and ready for school, black backpack slung over his shoulders.</p><p>Renjun looks at him in such bewilderment that it makes Jaemin break out into a grin. He glances towards his bedroom door, back to the window, and drags himself out of bed to unlock it, pushing it up and open.</p><p>“You're fucking insane.”</p><p>Jaemin crawls his way through and jumps forward to peck at Renjun’s lips. “Morning, sunshine.”</p><p>Renjun thinks he’s anything <em> but </em> sunshine right now. He knows he’s the odious owner of the dark circles smeared beneath his eyes and the messy bed of dark hair on his head. He self-consciously brings a hand up to flatten it. Jaemin catches him in the act and grabs at his wrist, forcing it away. </p><p>“Like it messy,” is all he mumbles before dropping his bag to the floor and dropping to Renjun’s bed. </p><p>If anything, Renjun thinks he’s lucky.</p><p>He joins Jaemin on the bed, back against the headboard, and tucks his knees in under his chin. He watches Jaemin scribble something onto a piece of paper before folding it in quarters, slipping it away into the inside of his jacket pocket.</p><p>“What’s that?" Renjun maffles into his knees.</p><p>Jaemin meets his wide eyes and smiles, cocking his head to the side. "Something important."</p><p>Renjun raises his brows. "Hm?"</p><p>He's not sure how long Jaemin's going to stare at him instead of answering the question—which, he supposes wasn't actually a question, but he’s almost tempted to take a look at the time. Jaemin catches him again. Taking Renjun's cheek into his palm, he pulls him back and presses a kiss to the other.</p><p>Renjun wants to question it, but it's Jaemin, and Jaemin is known for being affectionate to the point where it becomes incessant. Maybe it's because it's their anniversary, maybe Renjun wants to kiss him too, but before he gets the chance, Jaemin's rambling away, lips moving too fast for Renjun to seize.</p><p>He goes on about his classes for the day and what meetings he has to attend for whatever extra mural he's apart of. Renjun listens. </p><p>“—which is kind of a bummer because, you know, my coach sucks at being a coach, and—“ he stops, tilts his head, scowls. "Why aren't you getting ready? It's almost six.”</p><p>Renjun straightens his back, "I was listening to you.”</p><p>"Oh, I'm sorry," Jaemin replies with a roll of his eyes, "do you get dressed and brush your teeth with your ears?"</p><p>Renjun nudges his knee with his foot, slipping off the bed to grab his clothes while Jaemin continues.</p><p>He coughs, interrupting him, "I have to shower.”</p><p>Jaemin quirks an eyebrow. "And? You want me in there with you?" He waggles them with a grin tugging at the corners of his lips.</p><p>Renjun mumbles something indistinct under his breath and stalks off into the bathroom.</p><p>It goes like this: Renjun steps out of the shower, gets dressed and towels his hair. As he walks into the bedroom, Jaemin pops out from around the corner and smacks another kiss to his cheek. Renjun doesn’t question it, only responds with a sneer and swipes a palm across the spot, laughs it off.</p><p>Renjun’s packing his backpack when Jaemin slithers both arms around his shoulders, letting his hands hang limply against his chest. Renjun lets him sit like that until he’s done—and when he is, Jaemin angles his chin up with a single finger and gives a kiss—a proper kiss. Now, Renjun wants to question it more than ever, but he’s too busy focusing on another pair of lips that he can’t be bothered to care about what comes out of his.</p><p>Renjun’s analytical, he figures things out for himself and likes it when people don’t know that he knows things he <em> isn’t </em> supposed to know. So he tries to find some kind of pattern within Jaemin’s actions, but the hugs and pecks to the cheek are so out of the blue that each time Renjun comes up with a theory, it’s thrown out of the window.</p><p>He frowns scornfully; he shouldn’t be worrying about it because this is how it always is, and today is no exception, especially considering that it’s their one year together.</p><p><em> Today… </em> he thinks, <em> today’s a bit excessive. </em></p><p>When they eventually make their way out of Renjun’s room, neither of his parents are surprised to see Jaemin there. On multiple occasions, Jaemin’s come knocking to, as he likes to call it, <em> escort </em> Renjun to school. </p><p>The first time he’d gotten in through the window, Renjun had just about jumped out of his skin; it was almost midnight and Jaemin had told him that he needed a getaway, somewhere to stay for the rest of the night. Renjun’s parents had always been the lenient type, and they’d welcomed him into their home with open arms, no matter the time. He’s been using the window ever since.</p><p>Renjun’s father is half-asleep and barely grumbles out a greeting from his coffee mug, eyes scanning over the newspaper’s headlines. His mother, however, is awake and leaning against the counter, her baby blue gown wrapped tightly around her waist. She raises an eyebrow at the pair as they head for the door, waving their goodbyes.</p><p>“Jaemin,” she stops them. They turn to meet her gaze. “You know that we have a front door that’s ready and available for you whenever?”</p><p>Jaemin plasters on his billboard-worthy smile and cocks his head to the side. Only then does Renjun realise how long his hair has gotten over the course of the past few months; light brown strands tickle at his eyes, but the length suits him.</p><p>“Didn’t want to wake you, Mrs Huang.”</p><p>She hums like the reason he’s given is a good one and shoos them off.</p><p>“Love you!” Renjun calls out before letting the door fly shut.</p><p>Outside, the sunlight rouses warm tones of red, orange and yellow from the monochrome. Renjun used to think the world didn’t exist before nine a.m., but ever since the first day Jaemin had entered his life he’s learnt to appreciate the sunrise more. </p><p>He thinks of nothing in particular when he slips his hand into Jaemin’s, the sound of the gravel crunching under their shoes and the soft humming of the birds to soothe them into calm.</p><p>“So,” Jaemin begins, “I’ve got something planned for today.”</p><p>Renjun is quick to catch on. “Is that what you were writing earlier?”</p><p>“Am I so predictable?”</p><p>“Always,” Renjun nudges his shoulder against his. “What is it?”</p><p>“A <em> plan </em>.”</p><p>“Intriguing,” he says, “tell me more.”</p><p>Jaemin hums serenely, “Three-hundred and sixty-five days make a year,”</p><p>“Good to know,”</p><p>“So,” he continues, “for our one year, you, Huang Renjun, will be the recipient of exactly three-hundred and sixty-five of my <em> breathtaking </em> kisses.”</p><p>First, Renjun frowns, then he snorts, and finally, he lets his lips part in stupefaction. “You’re serious?”</p><p>“As serious as ever.”</p><p>Renjun stares at him in wonder as they walk along the sidewalk, unconsciously letting his hand fall from Jaemin’s. It’s such a far-fetched idea, Renjun has no clue how he’s going to manage it, especially with them being at school for most of the day. Ultimately, he’s not sure what to feel. He knows that: a) the idea is crazy, b) Jaemin is stupid enough to try and pull it off—he’d stopped questioning Jaemin and his antics ages ago.</p><p>His gaze drifts to the ground and back up again. Jaemin’s smile is washed away by a frown that tugs at his mouth, and he stares back at Renjun in sudden panic.</p><p><em> Poor guy </em>. Renjun quirks the corners of his lips into a grin. They’ve both stopped walking now, and as Jaemin blinks in uncertainty, Renjun stealthily glides his way behind him to slips his arms around his neck. Jaemin has one second to realise what he’s doing and holds onto Renjun’s legs as he hops off the ground and onto his back. Rather than this surprising Jaemin more, it eases him into a laugh.</p><p>Renjun smirks, leaning in to whisper into his ear, “Fine,” he says, breath warm as it brushes against Jaemin’s skin. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”</p><p> </p><p>Jisung and Mark are the first to greet the two upon entering the school grounds. This is where Renjun and Jaemin let their hold on each other dwindle in favour of reaching out to hug their friends. Jisung immediately breaks out into a retelling of something that happened last night and how crazy it’d been having his family over; they all weasel in a comment whenever there’s an opening.</p><p>Their journey throughout the school consists of stops that are located at Jaemin’s locker, the classroom that Jeno steps out from after an early-morning debate meeting, the bench that Hyuck and Chenle sit at, doing their best to catch up on some homework due first period, and finally Renjun’s locker.</p><p>The chatter behind him is loud as he pulls himself from the conversation, inputting the code that pops open the lock. The first thing he notices, in an assortment of bright colours, is the bundle of chocolates sitting in a wooden woven basket. A flush of embarrassment settles across his cheeks as the reason for them being there dawns upon him. </p><p>He plucks one from the collection and turns to confront Jaemin. “Hershey’s Kisses? Seriously?” He quirks an eyebrow as the chatter ceases and all the attention is focused on him. Jeno nudges a grinning Jaemin forward.</p><p>“You’re getting real creative here,” Renjun says, refusing to display the smile that’s itching to stretch upon his lips. He looks down to the chocolate and starts to pick at the foil wrapping.</p><p>“You can’t expect anything less.” Jaemin replies proudly then nods toward the basket, “There’s exactly seventy-five in there.”</p><p>Renjun lets his head bounce back. “<em> Seventy-five </em>?”</p><p>He hums with a sloppy grin and leans in, “Wanna make it seventy-six?”</p><p>Renjun watches him get closer and stops him at just the right moment; he sticks the chocolate he’d been unwrapping into Jaemin’s mouth and matches his previous grin when his eyebrows shoot up and he takes a step backwards.</p><p>“Not letting you get them all that easily,” Renjun grabs another from the bundle, unwraps it, and plops it into his mouth as their friends jab Jaemin with snarky remarks spilling from their lips.</p><p>The group parts ways half an hour later when the bell rings. Donghyuck heads to his history lesson with a hand wrapped around Jeno’s arm, dragging him along, Jaemin and Chenle leave for their respective classes, and Renjun steps into stride with Mark and Jisung on either side of him.</p><p>“You think you’ll handle it?” Mark asks upon entering their first-period class. They slip past the group of students who huddle around one’s phone, and through the gaps between each desk. “You know, what with you not being the most affectionate of the bunch.”</p><p>Renjun bobs his head in acknowledgement—Mark is right about the fact that Renjun’s never been one for touching, much less for public displays of affection, which Jaemin, on the other hand, is much too keen on. He supposes it’s okay when he and Jaemin are alone, where nobody can jeer at them for every little thing they do, but even then he happens to be a bit closed off—well, he used to. </p><p>As a kid, Renjun had been relatively busy with sports, extra classes, and extracurriculars rather than spending his time at home with his parents. He’d never had a sibling to poke fun at either, so it just isn’t something that comes naturally to him. He can’t quite force it out of himself either, not when it causes him to recoil and inwardly cringe.</p><p>He shrugs, sliding into his seat. “Maybe,” he mulls it over as he begins to unpack his books. “It’s Jaemin. I’m not minding it as much as I used to.” Then he stills for a moment before finding the right words, “I think I’m starting to enjoy it.”</p><p>Jisung sticks a finger into his open mouth and makes a gagging noise. Renjun sneers at him in response. </p><p>Mark shuts them both up with a shush. “There’s nothing wrong with that,” he keeps his vision trained on Jisung in particular at this bit before turning back to Renjun. “In fact, it’s a good thing.”</p><p>“Yeah, until Jaemin decides to embarrass him <em> publicly </em>.”</p><p>“He wouldn’t—”</p><p>“<em>He would </em>.” Renjun and Jisung both reply in unison.</p><p>“He’s done it before,” Renjun explains, “what will stop him from doing it now.” The way he says it makes it sound more like a statement than a question, and with that he turns to face the front of the classroom where their teacher stands, settling the class.</p><p>The lesson goes by normally: Renjun and Mark do the assigned activity and take down their notes, Jisung crumples his up and tosses them at both of their heads at one point or another, they all stare at the clock, waiting for the final minutes to be counted down. There’s ten left and the class has been lulled to quietness for a good fifteen when there’s a knock at the door. The teacher calls for whoever it is to come in, and the door is pushed open. The lady who usually sits at the front desk of the school’s office steps in, her hair tucked in neat curls and a bouquet of flowers in her hands.</p><p>The second Mark spots it, he kicks the underside of Renjun’s seat, and Renjun knows what he’s insinuating. He silently prays that the flowers aren’t for him. Jisung, on the other hand, has already let out a laugh that’s bubbled in his chest for a second longer than he could handle. He’s disguising it with a cough as he turns to Renjun and nods his head in the lady’s direction.</p><p>“What was that about you enjoying it?”</p><p>Renjun groans, bringing a hand to the side of his head like that’d be enough to hide him away from the world—like this morning, he wants the earth to swallow him whole, but this time for a completely different reason. He continues scribbling down any words that come to mind to make himself seem busy as the class erupts in a chaos of hushed mutters, every student’s attention focused on the two conversing at the front. </p><p>For a moment, Renjun thinks he’s in the clear, that she’s just carrying around flowers for another, albeit peculiar, reason, but they both look his way and his stomach knots. He loves Jaemin, he really does, but after a colossal embarrassment such as this one, he’s going to have to hand in his letter of resignation and get out of this doting relationship. </p><p>Renjun peeks out from under his hand. His teacher has taken the bouquet and is thanking the office-lady. Soon enough, she walks off, shuts the door, and the class falls silent. Renjun feels his heart rate pick up and the worry build. He feels sick.</p><p>“Park Jisung,” their teacher calls out, and Renjun has to refrain from widening his eyes when Jisung’s cackling suddenly ceases. Their teacher sticks his arm out. “I believe,” he says, “these are for you.”</p><p>“<em>What?</em>” Jisung chokes out, one hand gripping the edge of his seat so hard that his knuckles turn a sickly white.</p><p>There’s a snort from one end of the classroom, then another from Mark, then a few giggles, and Jisung is struggling to haul himself out of his seat. When he does, he scrambles to grab the bunch of flowers that have been neatly wrapped at the stems in a sheen layer of plastic. He bows his head swiftly before retreating back to his desk. </p><p>A heavy blush settles upon his ears and Renjun leans over to pinch one of them. The queasy feeling has already subsided and is now replaced by delightful relief. Jisung flinches away from Renjun’s touch and tugs on the string that clings to a brown tag. His eyes scan over the words for a few moments before he scowls.</p><p>“I fucking hate your boyfriend,” Jisung grumbles and thrusts the bouquet to Renjun. </p><p>He takes them with a look of surprise. They’re pink with white around the edges. He picks up the tag.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Jisung-ah~~~ </em>
</p><p><em> Please kindly pass these over to Renjun </em> ♡ <em> in a civilised manner. </em></p><p> </p><p>Renjun curls his lips inward to suppress the oncoming chortle and makes eye contact with Jisung for only a moment before he flips the tag over.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> I hope you’ve received these well and that Jisung hasn’t blown his top yet.  </em>
</p><p><em> Happy one year </em>♡</p><p><em> (Dianthus flowers, also known as ‘Pink </em> <em> Kisses</em><em>’ (forty-five points!!!!)) </em></p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>“It wasn’t funny,” Jisung shoves a handful of fries into his mouth, “<em> at all </em>.”</p><p>After the so-called ‘mentally challenging’ experience Jisung had said he’d been put through, he’d almost taken the flowers back so that he could toss them into the bin that stood outside of the classroom. Mark had to hold him back as Renjun held the bouquet closer to his chest. He thinks they’re worth the odd few stares students give him when he walks through the passageways. Now the bouquet rests on the table in front of him, carefully placed under the only splash of shade coming from the tree overhead.</p><p>Jaemin slips onto the bench with a tray of food in hand and leans his shoulder against Renjun’s. </p><p>“I thought it was pretty funny.” Renjun shrugs when a kiss is pressed to his cheek.</p><p>“You,” Jisung points a fry at his face, “weren’t on the receiving end. But I saw the fear in your eyes.”</p><p>“It was clever,” Mark joins in before Jaemin has the chance to interrogate. “I was expecting Renjun to throw a fit the second we’d gotten out of class. Smart move.”</p><p>Mark sticks out his hand and Jaemin meets it halfway in some obscure handshake. </p><p>Later, Mark takes it upon himself to explain the occurrence to the rest of them, and from then on more conversation blooms. Renjun listens, occasionally tossing in his two cents. When he feels like he’s been especially quiet, he leans in to Jaemin.</p><p>“Thank you,” he whispers.</p><p>Jaemin turns to look at him. “For? The flowers?”</p><p>“For not<em> embarrassing me </em>.” He grins. “But yes, thank you for the flowers.”</p><p>Jaemin’s posture is straightened the second he hears the words, almost like he’s proud of himself; his chest is raised a little higher, as is his nose. </p><p>There’s a blanket of comfort that covers the group now, a single topic bouncing back and forth table-wide; it must be something interesting because Donghyuck’s got his hands waving about erratically and Jisung and Chenle have started their own heated debate on the matter. Renjun acts as a spectator when everybody else, including Jaemin, joins in. He’s not one for talking today. The day’s great, and there’s not a single thing that could go wrong. </p><p>“Hey,” Jaemin takes a moment to wake him from his repose, “you okay?”</p><p>Renjun blinks the haze from his eyes and nods. He is okay—he’s perfect. There hasn’t been a day like this in a long time and he’s doing his best to savour it: the sound of his friends’ voices enthusiastically arguing, the tranquil that’s managed to settle among the entire school, the bird that nips at a chunk of bread Jeno had tossed it. It’s <em>okay. </em></p><p>“And, hey,” he finds his voice, “I’m taking you out tonight, okay?”</p><p>Jaemin takes the statement as a surprise. “Yeah?”</p><p>He hums gently, cupping his chin in his hand. “Not anything big, but- you’ll see.” He cuts himself short, opting it best to keep the plan to himself.</p><p>They fall back into serenity again, and this time they both add to the discussion. </p><p>Just before the bell rings for their next class, the seven pack up their things and make their way back into the school. The group stops at Jeno’s locker first, huddling together as they walk. Jisung and Chenle are arguing about something new now, all in hushed tones so nobody dares to contribute—although Donghyuck does just to irk them. Renjun sees the exasperation on their faces each time Donghyuck opens his mouth, so he does them a favour and drags him away, silently offering a spot in his conversation with Jaemin. As he always does, Donghyuck fits in anywhere.</p><p>The bedlam occurs when Jeno swings his locker door open to the fullest, not noticing how Renjun had been leaning against the one beside it. There’s a collective gasp and in an instant, his vision is clouded by static and his head spins. Renjun reaches up to cradle his nose.</p><p>“<em>Fuck</em>,” he curses as they all gape at him. He pinches the bridge before he pulls his hand away. A speckle of crimson dots his finger. </p><p>While Jisung does his usual and laughs, Mark is digging through his jacket pockets to find a pack of tissues. When he does, he passes one to Renjun who doesn’t even bother thanking him. Renjun swats a hand at Jeno’s shoulder, shooing Jeno away in annoyance while he mutters a few apologies.</p><p>“Are you okay?” Chenle treads hesitantly forward.</p><p>“<em>No</em>,” he doesn’t mention the throbbing that pulses from the bridge of his nose to his ears. He hates how his heart still thumps at the shock and how all of his senses have been heightened—it’s a stupid bloody nose. “I feel like I’m <em>dying</em>.”</p><p>Jaemin perks up at this. Renjun drops his hand once he’s deemed his face clear of any blood; Donghyuck gives him a double thumbs up to confirm, but that doesn't stop it from starting again.</p><p>“Don’t be so <em> dramatic </em>—” Jisung starts with a roll of his eyes. He stops when Jaemin surges forward, taking hold of Renjun’s arm to steady him, and plants a kiss on his lips.</p><p>Renjun startles, finds he has nowhere to jump to, and just lets it happen. Jisung gives a loud “<em>Oh, really?</em>” in the background when it continues.</p><p>He’s not sure why this is happening either; if you were to ask him he’d say that Jaemin is starting to take this too far, because there’s no excuse good enough to validate this kiss—no matter if he’s getting used to it, if he likes it, even just the <em> tiniest </em> bit, maybe more.</p><p>It’s another second and a half before Jaemin eventually detaches himself from Renjun and meets his inquisitive gaze. </p><p>He smiles, spins around on his heel, and proudly announces, “Kiss of life! Sixty points!”</p><p>Renjun should find this infuriating—that he had been bleeding just seconds before and all Jaemin could do was incorporate it into his stupid little game. </p><p>Instead, he finds himself saying, “<em>Sixty</em>? Now that’s just cheating.”</p><p>It’s almost in an instant that Jaemin turns swiftly on his heel again to take the tissue out of Renjun’s hand and dab at the almost-dried blood himself. As soon as everyone’s ready they split up to stalk off to their respective classes, none of which Renjun shares with any besides Mark or Jeno for the rest of the day.</p><p>The periods pass by slowly. Renjun sits through an hour of algebra, an hour of biology, and another hour of history before the final bell sounds out. Impatiently, he shoves all of his loose papers into his binder and the binder into his backpack. On his way out, he makes a quick detour to his locker, and then he meets up with Jaemin at the front gate.</p><p>“What’s the damage so far?” Is the first thing Renjun asks when he stops in front of Jaemin.</p><p>Jaemin tilts his head. “Damage?”</p><p>They both begin walking down the pathway behind a small group of three other students; they’re walking excruciatingly slow, but Jaemin’s walking at the same pace beside him so Renjun decides to make an exception. Just this once.</p><p>Renjun taps the side of Jaemin’s black jacket and Jaemin suddenly understands. “Oh,” he says. “It’s at two-hundred and ninety-five.”</p><p>Renjun nods, impressed. “Less than a hundred to go. I have to say, Jaem, I’m feeling kind of smothered.”</p><p>Jaemin catches onto the sarcasm. “Oh, wow— smothered? By <em> me</em>? Na Jaemin? Who would’ve thought?” He slips an arm over Renjun’s shoulders and grins.</p><p>The rest of the walk home is spent with Jaemin doing most of the talking, and Renjun doesn’t mind listening—it’s what he does best. The first and last stop is at Renjun’s place, where they bid their goodbyes, promising to meet each other later.</p><p>“Oh?” Jaemin makes a sound as Renjun turns to unlock the front door. </p><p>The door clicks open when Renjun gazes over his shoulder. Jaemin’s standing on the step below the top one, almost levelling their heights. His arm is angled over Renjun’s head and Renjun follows it up to his hand. It shouldn’t take him by surprise—it doesn’t—but it’s so stupid and so unexpected that Renjun rubs his palm against his forehead to process it: Jaemin’s holding a sprig of mistletoe, bright green and clear of berries yet still identifiable. </p><p>It’s sweet. Renjun loves the sentiment and the lengths Jaemin is going to to make him happy, so the least he can do is play along. He drops his backpack to the ground and pushes his insecurities aside. He reaches up to wrap his fingers around Jaemin’s wrist, pulling his arm down. The stare Jaemin is giving him is like fire, and it burns. Renjun brings Jaemin’s hand to his waist. Jaemin understands what Renjun’s doing it as soon as he does it and leans in to hold him with both. Renjun, in turn, slips his arms around Jaemin's neck and draws him nearer.</p><p>“This plan of yours is so stupid,” Renjun whispers against his lips.</p><p>Jaemin smiles. “I don’t know about that,” he knits his brows together, “it’s working out pretty well for me.”</p><p>Renjun has to tilt his head slightly downward when Jaemin presses his lips to his, and it’s something he’s not at all used to—normally, considering the fact that Jaemin’s the taller one, he’s the one looking up. It makes things difficult for a second, but he steadies himself by resting one hand against Jaemin’s jaw, thumbing at it gently before he stills.</p><p>Outside, where anybody could see, is not typically Renjun’s ideal, but right now, to quote his thoughts, he couldn’t give a shit. Jaemin’s been doing so much for him, and he doesn’t just mean today: ever since they’d gotten together—hell, even before that Jaemin’s gone out of his way to put a smile on Renjun’s face. Renjun himself isn’t good at displaying his appreciation, and growing up with little affection has hindered him from giving any to Jaemin. In a way, he feels bad, but he deems it as something to dwell on later</p><p>There’s a bundle of warmth that builds up in his chest that contributes to the reason why his heart has started beating so hard; that and maybe the fact that Jaemin is holding him a little tighter, tugging at his bottom lip. </p><p>It gets to a point where they both forget about their surroundings—forget the fact that there <em> are </em>surroundings. Renjun’s got his fingers creeping into Jaemin’s hair when a sniffle comes from next to them. Renjun pulls back first, a little stunned that Jaemin hadn’t done the same, but brushes it off; he wouldn’t blame him if he hadn’t heard it. Renjun lets his hands fall from Jaemin’s neck.</p><p>“Mind if I just get into my own house? I’ll only be a second.”</p><p>If Renjun had thought his heart had been pounding before, it definitely is nothing compared to how it is now; it’s so hard that it’s the only thing he can hear. </p><p>As to not waste any time, he scooches himself and Jaemin over to the side to allow for enough space for his mom to slip past. Her eyebrows shoot up when she notices that the door has already been unlocked. She knocks it open further with her elbow to place the packets of groceries onto the floor and pivots back around to look at the two.</p><p>“Jaemin, always a pleasure seeing you, morning, afternoon, night,” she claps her hands together and points them at him with a smile. Renjun feels Jaemin shift his weight to the other foot in unease. He also feels the heat on his cheeks accompanied by the hands still resting on his hips. Awkwardly, Renjun pushes them away. “I’m sure this won’t be the last time today,” she continues, “I’ll be inside. You two say your goodbyes, and, Renjun, I’ll see you in the kitchen.”</p><p>Renjun wants to protest, but can’t find it in himself to form the words he needs to. What eventually escapes him is a wisp of a mumble before his mother waves to Jaemin and shuts the door behind her. </p><p>Renjun groans, dropping his head to Jaemin’s shoulder. “Take me with you,” he murmurs. Jaemin rubs gentle circles against Renjun’s back in hopes of it comforting him, but the laugh he’s suppressing renders the attempt useless. “I can’t go in there.”</p><p>“And I can’t ever show my face here again,”</p><p>“Let’s run away,”</p><p>“No money,”</p><p>“Fuck,”</p><p>Jaemin chuckles, pulling Renjun away and holding him at half arm’s length. “I’ll see you later? Here at seven?”</p><p>Renjun nods, going over the night in his head, and confirms the time. </p><p>After a few more exchanges, Jaemin had turned to leave, Renjun had insisted on one more kiss which took both of them by surprise, and finally, Jaemin was let go. </p><p>Building up the courage to even open the door to his house was bad enough, but upon seeing his mom unpacking items from the plastic bags, he found it worse to approach her. She eyes him, starts speaking about absolutely nothing related to what had just happened, and it takes Renjun all of one minute to realise that she isn’t going to be bringing it up at all. He sits in one of the grey stools, spinning back and forth until his mother distracts herself with work. Quietly, Renjun slips away, dragging his backpack with him to do some homework and get ready for later.</p><p> </p><p>Despite earlier’s incident, Jaemin stays true to his initial words and arrives at Renjun’s place just before seven. </p><p>The air is cold and brittle as night begins to fall upon the city. The sky blankets them in a velvet blue with the moon daring to cast the only natural light. Jaemin’s gaze drifts from heavenward to the house in front of him. Renjun’s on the hanging porch chair with his shoulder pressed up against Mark’s. The two swing back and forth serenely as they talk to each other quietly. As soon as Renjun spots Jaemin he smiles and hops off the chair, speedily walking towards him. Jaemin greets him with a kiss to the lips and sends a curious glance Mark’s way.</p><p>Renjun catches on and nods his head to Mark, who’s busy making his way down the steps. “Neither of us have a car. He’s our only option.” </p><p>Jaemin looks at the car behind him: it’s an old flat-hood that’s recently been cleaned—<em> thoroughly</em>, judging by the black sheen.</p><p>“Joy,” Jaemin deadpans, then gives Renjun a sickly sweet smile. “You didn’t think of asking your mom for a ride?”</p><p>Renjun’s face contorts into horror as he thinks of it. He shivers. “Don’t even joke about it.”</p><p>Jaemin takes the seat in the back and Renjun the passenger. Much to Renjun’s distaste, Jaemin sits on the edge of his seat the entire ride, leaning with arms folded against Renjun’s seat as they all share the conversation. </p><p>They drive for less than ten minutes before Mark stops outside a row of shops. Jaemin finds himself confused again. </p><p>“Get out,” Mark says abruptly, and while Renjun complies, unbuckling his seatbelt, Jaemin blinks at him obliviously.</p><p>“What?”</p><p>Renjun rolls his eyes and pops the door open. “Just come on.” He exhorts.</p><p>With one last odd look, Jaemin pushes his door open and follows Renjun outside. Renjun bends his knees to wave Mark goodbye, and then watches as he takes off.</p><p>Jaemin gapes. They’re on the sidewalk of a busy street where only so many shops line it. He turns to Renjun for reassurance but finds none. Renjun’s grinning up at him already with both brows twisted upward in amusement. He gives Jaemin a moment to close his mouth, and when he does it’s in a firm line that only furthers the glow in Renjun’s eyes. </p><p>“Let’s go,” Renjun grabs hold of Jaemin’s hand to entwine their fingers together.</p><p>This time Jaemin allows him to lead the way, no questions asked. They work their way through clumps of people moving in the same and opposite direction as them until they turn down a twist and end up facing an almost identical row of shops. Except, with this one, Jaemin understands what they’re there for. </p><p>In equal enthusiasm, he bounces on his heels before speeding up alongside Renjun. They come to a stop in front of The Milky Way: it’s an ice cream parlour he and Renjun had gone to several times in the past, the washed-out blue text standing against the off-white gives them a familiar greeting.</p><p>The pair would meet up in the same booth after school to help each other with the subjects they’d each been struggling with; Renjun was Jaemin’s unofficial English tutor, while Jaemin his history tutor—although this tradition had long been abandoned before they’d stopped coming altogether due to the abundance of work and exams. They’d started dating somewhere in-between.</p><p>The bell hanging above the glass door jingles once they make their way in. The smell of vanilla and waffle cone wafts through the air and they both bask in it, inhaling a sharp breath.</p><p>Jaemin’s prepared to head to their usual spot, but Renjun tugs him backwards in favour of walking up to the counter. </p><p>One of the employees that’d grown accustomed to seeing them over the course of a few months gives them a hearty smile from behind the counter. “Good to see you two again,” she says joyfully before reaching for something. She presents them with two fresh cones, single-scooped with Renjun and Jaemin’s respective favourite flavours. </p><p>Jaemin takes a chance to nudge Renjun’s shoulder with his own. “How do you even preorder at an ice cream shop?”</p><p>Renjun shrugs, taking and handing Jaemin his cone.</p><p>“You two are friendly faces here,” the employee says, “pretty sure you can get away with anything.” She sends them a wink while drying her hands with a cloth. After a moment, she turns away to tend to another order.</p><p>The pair take one last look around the place, reminiscing in the memories of afternoons spent scooping ice cream with plastic spoons while giving their assignments their undivided (read: divided) attention. </p><p>Renjun gives Jaemin’s hand a tug to let him know they need to make their way back out. Leaving the shop sends a jolt through Jaemin’s heart.</p><p>“We should go there more often,” Jaemin says.</p><p>Renjun hums in agreement, licking at his ice cream. “I miss it.”</p><p>Jaemin nods, waiting for him to make the next move. It’s a few seconds until he does, but Renjun takes his hand again and leads him down the sidewalk.</p><p>“Hey,” Jaemin speaks up as they stand, waiting for the traffic light to turn red. “If you <em> supposedly </em> forgot about today, how’d you manage this.” He moves the hand holding his ice cream around in a circle as if there’s something he’s gesturing to.</p><p>“Ah,” he lifts his eyebrows, wanting to wave a hand in front of his face to dismiss the comment, but realises he has no free one. “It slipped my mind this morning. I had this idea a while ago. It doesn’t exactly require much reservation; you heard her, we’re friendly faces.” He beams up at Jaemin with a smile so bright that it shines in the dark.</p><p>Before Jaemin can nod, the light switches and Renjun makes a sudden ‘<em>oh</em>’ sound, pulling him across the road.</p><p>It’s darkened sufficiently in the past couple minutes, but the sun hasn’t quite disappeared behind the mountains yet. By the way Renjun’s dragging him, Jaemin assumes they need to get somewhere before sundown and pressures himself to keep up with his pace.</p><p>They’ve advanced past the opposite sidewalk now and are slithering their way through copious amounts of trees, shrubs and other plants. Jaemin senses perplexity seeping in again and begins to question Renjun, but is handed no response in return. So he keeps his mouth shut for the rest of the walk, choosing to savour the ice cream that’s already begun to melt. </p><p>A few steps further and they find themselves ambling down a cobblestone pathway. Something familiar itches in the back of Jaemin’s head the more they walk, but he doesn’t have a moment to put his finger on it.</p><p>It’s not until he spots Mark’s car parked on the lookout that it dawns on him. </p><p>Jaemin halts and Renjun stumbles backwards. “You’re…” he starts and Renjun smirks with pride, happy that Jaemin remembers. Jaemin meets his eyes. “This is where we had our first kiss.”</p><p>“Where else to go when kisses are your top priority today?”</p><p>Jaemin finds happiness swelling inside of him, rendering him to a state of being that, in simple terms, is peaceful and content. He likes the trip down memory lane just as much as he's letting on. Joy sparks and tingles all over his skin, leaving goosebumps in its wake; he knows this isn’t a product of the cold because there’s no cold to be felt. The stars are out now and it’s dark as the moon shines overhead, but the breeze is nothing but a little chilly as it hits them.</p><p>Renjun slips his hand out of Jaemin’s and giddily strides over to the car. </p><p>“Hey, Romeo,” a voice calls out from Jaemin’s left. Jaemin startles, spinning to face the person. He recognises Mark’s face in the dark as he steps closer. Jaemin only has a second to catch the keys being tossed his way, but he manages it with his free hand. “Get her back safe.”</p><p>Jaemin frowns. “Her?”</p><p>Mark doesn’t elaborate. He sticks two fingers to his temple in salute and stalks off. Jaemin gazes down to the keys in his hand and loops them around his index finger. He closes his fist around them and turns back to the car.</p><p><em> Oh</em>, Jaemin pauses, <em> her. </em></p><p>He rolls his eyes at the now gender-assigned car and finds Renjun sitting on the hood, ice cream finished and hands clutching his knees tucked beneath his chin. Jaemin pops the last bite of the cone into his mouth and moves to join him.</p><p>Renjun doesn’t pay him any mind once he’s at his side, instead he gazes at the view with a gentle smile. He’s content too. Jaemin peeks over the edge of the cliff: moonlight spills over the water that caresses the rocks below. The only sounds they can hear are the crickets chirping from somewhere between the mess of shrubs and trees, and the muffled sound of cars passing by. </p><p>They sit in silence for a while. </p><p>“How many left?”</p><p>“Huh?” Jaemin angles his head to face Renjun, but he’s still not looking at him. “Oh,” Jaemin hates himself for the number of times he’s been confused today. He recalls the last number written on his torn sheet of paper and adds a couple of digits in his head, using his fingers as a form of assistance. “Twenty.”</p><p>“How do you think you’re going to manage that?” His voice has been reduced to near a whisper—they’d somehow come to a silent mutual agreement that speaking any louder would ruin the ambience.</p><p>“Oh, my sweet, sweet Renjun,” he replies cheerfully, “don’t ever underestimate me. The night is still young.”</p><p>Renjun snorts, careening his neck to look over the edge. “You cheated your way through this entire thing.”</p><p>Jaemin’s immediate reaction is to gasp dramatically. “Don’t you dare accuse me of such a thing. I play <em> fair</em>.”</p><p>The way Renjun shakes his head makes him crack his seventh grin of the day. Then he sighs, letting the breeze carry his breath away, and wraps an arm around Renjun’s shoulders. Renjun leans into the touch and lays his head on Jaemin’s shoulder.</p><p>It’s quiet again and it’s amazing. They have nothing, <em> no one</em>, to bother them. </p><p>“I love you,” Renjun mumbles into Jaemin’s neck.</p><p>Jaemin smiles. He could reply with the same thing, keep it simple and still have it be perfect—but Jaemin’s never been one for simple. </p><p>“Prove it.” He says instead.</p><p>Renjun lifts his head a little. “What?” He murmurs in confusion. “How?”</p><p>Jaemin looks down at him, at how the stars are swimming in his eyes, and he can’t believe he’s been granted the privilege of seeing such a sight so close-up.</p><p>“I’ve got twenty kisses left,” he whispers, “doesn’t mean I have to be the one giving them.”</p><p>Renjun pulls his head away upon hearing the words, cocks it to the side, then shies away with a breath of laughter. He turns back to Jaemin with an unbelieving smile that drops a second later.</p><p>“You’re serious?”</p><p>“As serious as ever,”</p><p>Jaemin puts on a confident facade, but on the inside his heart hammers so hard that it hurts. He knows Renjun doesn’t do this sort of thing, that he is the one least likely to initiate anything intimate—and Jaemin definitely doesn’t want to force it out of him, but he’s sure that simply asking wouldn’t harm either of them. </p><p>Renjun takes so long to reply that Jaemin takes it as a solid <em> no</em>. He sniffs, focusing on the view in front of him instead. He’s happy as it is, anyway, and to be able to be up here with someone he cares for so deeply is all he needs for this night to be perfect. Nothing can change his mind on that. </p><p>It’s always been him and Renjun, clinging to each other only a few days after knowing each other, friends for seven months before the both of them had decided to call that quits and turn their relationship into something more. Right now, there is no ‘more’—this is everything.</p><p>So when a hand kisses his cheek, he can’t help but tense up in surprise. Renjun’s looking at him like that again, like <em> he’s </em> everything. Jaemin so badly wants him to stop and take that look to a mirror. </p><p>Renjun pulls him down until their foreheads meet and noses brush. Jaemin’s heart returns to its usual steady beat and he finds the feeling more comfortable than when it had raged in his chest. </p><p>When Renjun presses their lips together, Jaemin realises that he couldn’t have been more wrong. They move in unison, and Jaemin knows all too well how to play this game, how to make Renjun laugh into the kiss, feel the vibrations dance atop his own lips, and pull him closer. </p><p><em> This</em>, he thinks, <em> this is perfect. </em></p><p>There’s a tang of mint that Jaemin gets from Renjun, and he relishes it. The feel of Renjun holding onto him, the feel of his lips moving against his, the way the world seemingly stops just for them.</p><p>Renjun’s kisses are sweet; so sweet that it tastes like three-hundred and sixty-five points in one.</p><p>And Jaemin melts, melts, melts until the earth swallows him whole.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i have never had hershey's kisses i just hope they live up to the hype</p></blockquote></div></div>
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